A Finished Rainbow QAYG Top!!

I'm so excited!  I managed to finish the top of this quilt last night.  (I would like to thank my wonderful quilting assistants: Coke, Ice cream, and Star Trek; without you three, I would have been sleeping well before this was finished.)

I'm quite happy with how this turned out.  I was worried that it would be dominated by all the pink and purple since I'd originally wanted the the quilt to only have a couple little on the corners.  Well, when I decided to go twin sized, I made three more blocks of each color, which worried me, but since the middle is mostly blues and greens, it doesn't scream "PINK!!"  It's more, "hey dude, rainbow!"

The only minor hiccup in this quilt was last night as I was trimming all those blocks up, I realized they'd shrunk because of the quilting.  I suppose I should have seen something like that coming since quilting a normal quilt usually ends up with the quilt shrinking or growing and requiring some squaring up.  But I just trimmed them all down to 12" instead of my expected 12.5" and everything was hunky dory.

When I finished the top last night and measures 58" x 92", which is a little scant on the sides and long on the bottom.  So I decided to just wait until morning to try it on the little dude's twin bed to decide whether I needed to add another row.

See all of it bunched at the bottom?  I think most of that will just hang nicely if I didn't have the foot board, and I could just tuck it under.  But it will hang much lower there than on the sides. 

See?  It hangs a little under a full block on the sides, but a whole block and a half on the bottom.  So I'm going to ponder for the day whether to add another strip of blocks to the side.  Luckily, I got all of those batting and purple scraps, so I don't think it will be a problem.  

One more, because I just love how they look all stacked up!

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday and over at Lily's Quilts for Fresh Sewing Day!

UR Here Swap and Some Vintage Goodness!

Just finished up this little Starbucks cup sleeve.  I really am cutting it down to the wire on my last two swaps of the month.  I think because there's one thing to swap, then ANY goodie you want to add, there are just too many possibilities and my brain just wants to make all the things!

This one is for the UR Here Starbucks Mug Swap on Flickr.  Perfect timing, because we just broke our Starbucks mug, so we only have one giant mug left.  The rest are those little tea cups that you get with a dish set, and they really don't cut it when I need coffee in the morning.

But I did at least finish this today.  I even planned ahead and made sure to have a cup model for the sleeve.   Starbucks might have a faulty drive thru speaker, because I swear I said I just wanted a cup, but they heard PUMPKIN SPICE!!! OMG!!!  Oh well, I made sure to drink all that latte so nothing could possibly spill on the sleeve, because I'm a good and cautious person.

I kind of used two different tutorials to make this.  The basic "how do you make it" tutorial came from One Crafty Home.  I also used the template from there.  Then I poked around some more and found this tutorial from Jeni Baker and loved her stripey sleeve.  Handy since I had a bunch of Anna Maria Horner already cut into strips!

I might make up a drawstring bag or a mug rug to add to the pile of goodies, but I'm really bad at time management this last week, so we'll see.

Oh, and that book?  Found by accident at a community yard sale last weekend.  For $1, I just bought it without looking inside, but it's pretty magical.  It's everything I usually end up Googling when I make clothes (plus things I didn't even know about) all printed back in 1977!  There's so much good info in here, but also "How to Sew Shag" and "How to Make Foam Furniture for Your Rec Room!"  Amazing find!

Linking up with Live a Colorful Life for Really Random Thursday and Kelly over at My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday and Flamingo Toes for Think Pink Sunday!

 

WIP Wednesday

I've decided to just punch this out.  To go completely crazy and sew like a mad woman until this Rainbow QAYG quilt is done.  All those blocks that are off center are the ones I've added since this weekend.  That includes three purple blocks that could not have happened if I didn't have two friend's with plenty of purple scraps to spare.

Still a little doubtful if I'll have enough to finish three more pink blocks.  I may have to start knocking on random quilter's doors begging.  Sure I could just cut into the stash, but where's the fun in that!

Of the sixteen I needed to add, I've finished ten!  Downhill skating from here!

And doesn't this lovely pile of knitting look almost sweater shaped?  It's so close!  I have a few more chest decreases left, and then I can start shaping the shoulders and knitting the neck ribbing!  It's so close and I want to wear it because I'm starting to get a bit cold sewing on the porch, and I could use another cozy sweater.

Linking up with Lee for WIP Wednesday!

 

Chugging Along!

I finally decided that I needed to get started on this project again.  It's such an easy sew since I don't have to cut a bunch of pieces or match seams.  But I did need a small vacation from it after deciding I needed 16 (!!!) more blocks to bring it up to a twin size quilt.

Well, after sewing up a couple pairs of pants and some selfish sewing, I'm back at it.  I poured over my big scrap bin and dug out some more pieces from the way bottom.  And I pulled some scraps from my weekend sewing and added a couple spots of Anna Maria Horner to the two lighter blocks.

Also, can you find Darth Vader and C-3P0 on the dark blue block?  I found some scraps from my son's PJs and had to add them.

Plus, I managed to come back from Jess's place with this awesome pile of batting and fabric scraps.  My new block count includes three purple blocks and three pink blocks.  I'm not big on using those colors, so it was a stretch for me to even get the few that I already made.  Luckily, purple is the one color that Jess seems to always have in stock.  That bag will probably make up the purple blocks, and there's a few pink scraps that might get me part of the way to my goal there.

And seriously, that's probably all the batting I'll need for the rest of the blocks.  I'm going to cut it all out tomorrow to see where I stand, and then piece together the rest.  I think if I get all the batting blocks cut, it will be easier to just sew my butt off.

Linking up with Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday and I Have To Say for Show and Tell Tuesday!

More Parsley Pants!

Just a quick post today. I'm trying out the BlogGo app for my phone since I'm out an about. Not bad, but you can only do so much typing on a phone before you get tired of it. 

I finished up these teal, sparkly courduroy pants last night. I think I can officially call the children set for fall pants. I might actually start quilting now, or I might just start sewing up tops. Depends on what shiny thing I see next. 

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday , Better Off Thread for Sew Cute Tuesday and The Train to Crazy for Make It Wear It Thursday!

Where I Cut Flea Market Fancy, and the World Didn't Explode!

I've spent all afternoon working on a really awesome project.  I'm pattern testing for a blogger I've read forever and squeed a little when I got the email yesterday.  Right now, it's super double secret, but hopefully I'll be able to share the pictures next week because I actually cut into these beauties for it.  And two Anna Maria Horner scrap packs that I've had stowed away for the right project.  It's awesomesauce.

I did manage to finish the last block for my Sew Pieceful swap.  And I got them shipped out!  I'm pretty proud of myself for getting that all squared away two weeks early!

Here's all the blocks together.  I ended up not changing out that brown polka dot fabric for white after seeing some of the other blocks that people have made in that palette.  I think the white would have been too white, so I hope she likes it.

Linking up with My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday and Live a Colorful Life for Really Random Thursday!

WIP Wednesday

I couldn't help myself!  I went into Joann's to get one very specific colored fabric for a swap block, and found this awesome sparkly teal corduroy on sale for $4/yd!  Who could possibly say no to that?  Plus, I had a half off coupon for the piping, so I'm in the middle of  making a seventh pair of Parsley Pants!  (Love that pattern!)

This is the stack of 24 Rainbow QAYG blocks.  I'll have to do some real scrap organizing to get the 16 more blocks I need.  And organizing might mean making these awesome color coded scrap buckets from Sunday Morning Quilts.  Of course, that could just be me procrastinating.

I think tomorrow these might end up being some quilted pouches.  Grown-up ones, for me that I don't have to fill with the kids' toys.  I definitely need a better make-up pouch, and maybe one for my EPP stars that I started years and years ago.  Carrying them around would definitely be incentive to work on them more.

For size reference, that's a giant 12 inch My Little Pony.  

And that is almost a whole second sleeve!  I've had more knitting time on my hands now that school's back in session and I'm waiting in the massive pick up line at the school.  I have maybe seven more four-row repeats before I can join it to the sweater, but I'm going to have to try on the sweater torso first to make sure it's long enough.  The more I look at it, the shorter it seems to be.

Linking up with Lee for WIP Wednesday!

Oh My Stars!

So I have to admit that I'm a bit of a fabric hoarder.  When I really like a line, I buy all of it and just stare at it.  I'd love to make pretty things out of it, but I either have too many good ideas and can't settle on just one, or I have some okay ideas, and can't bear to cut into the fabric unless it's for the perfect project.

Example: I have fat quarter stacks of both the Flea Market Fancy reprints and Comma.  They've found homes where I can look at them while I sew, but that's it.

And the same was true of my stack of DS Quilts fabric from Joann's.  It was girly and flowery, but not over the top.  And it had the perfect mix of flowers and geometric prints.  I managed to find them all in the clearance section.  I'd search through those giant shelves and do a happy dance when I'd find it marked down to $6/yd.

Swirls and pebbles!

Then, one day, I decided that I wanted to do something traditional with them, but not boring, and I found the Solstice Stars Quilt Series at Fresh Lemons.  Trying out a bunch of different star patterns would be fun, and using only these fabrics would keep it from looking too crazy!

One of my favorite stars is the first of the row of four.  So many little pieces though!  And the wave quilting on the far left is one of my favorite patterns to do.

I made a few of the Solstice Stars, but didn't have the courage to try the paper pieced ones.  Then I searched through the Gen X Quilters Block Library for a few more to get some diversity.

I was trying to figure out the layout, and was considering making the whole top out of stars, but my friend Jess suggested the big chunks of fabric.  Genius!  It looks modern, and you get to really see how awesome that fabric is.

The quilting was really fun too.  I did a bunch of different patterns within the stars, and then all the different fabrics have their own pattern.  The quilting doesn't really show up well on the chunks, but it adds a lot of great texture.  

I'm still deciding whether to sell this one in my Etsy shop.  I like it, but it's so different from anything in my house.  I'll probably just hang it on my wall for a while and see how I feel about it.

Linking up with Quilt Story for Fabric Tuesday, I Have To Say for Show and Tell Tuesday, and Funky Polka Dot Giraffe for Too Cute Tuesday!

Pants, and Yarn, and Bread. Oh My!

I had a very productive weekend.  I made THREE pairs of Parsley Pants!  A pair for both my kids and one for a friend's daughter.  I had a couple yards of this yummy lightweight denim left over from making her Multi-Tasker Tote, and figured I might as well use it up.

I did all of them with pouch pockets, and used more of the piping I found at Marden's.  I'm going to have to start stocking up on that stuff.  I never thought I would get into making clothing enough to really use it, but now I want to add it to everything.  

Of course, pictures of the pants on the kids will have to wait.  I got both kids dressed in the pants this morning, we went outside to play, but before I could take pictures they'd started soaking each other with the hose.  Maybe I'll get to the laundry tomorrow and try again.

The rest of the weekend was filled with a marathon baking session.  I realized we were eating the last loaf of bread in the freezer and decided I might as well make two batches while I had the time.  I love this white bread recipe from Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila, you just mix, ignore, shape, rise, and bake.  The whole process takes a couple hours, but most of that time you're just ignoring the dough.  I'll have to make some of her wheat bread too.  It's super yummy, but you have to refrigerate it overnight, and I find that by the next day I don't have the ambition to finish the job.

And I balled up some yarn and worked on the second sleeve of my Sweatshirt Sweater.  I only have two more hanks left after this, which makes me kind of nervous.  I have a feeling that I'll be fine, since I only have a bit of sleeve and the armpit of the body up to do, but I'll be nervously checking my yarn until I finish.

Linking up with The Train to Crazy for Make It Wear It Thursday!

Small Finish, Long Week

Toby the Cat is very bummed that this isn't my finish for the week, and is determined to cuddle under my Rainbow QAYG Quilt no matter what!

Honestly, though, I am pretty bummed.  I finished all the blocks, had my backing picked out, and was about to quilt the two together when I realized that I needed to make it a twin size.  Right now it's 4'x6', so that means adding another column and two rows.  Sixteen more blocks!!  But I have a feeling that a certain little girl will want to have this when she gets a real bed, so I'm going to keep going.  I may have to "help" some friends with their scrap stashes because I'm pretty much out of decent batting scraps.

I did manage to finish this Multi-Tasker Tote, though.  Sorry there's no amazing pictures of it; I was too excited to deliver it to it's new home to pause and take any.

Everything but the bottom super hard interfacing came from my friend's (yo Letty!) crazy fabric stash that was handed down to her.  The outside is denim that I quilted onto fusible fleece (because she had bags and bags of it!) instead of using the lightweight interfacing that the pattern called for.  It makes the bag stand up on it's own, which is something that I wish I'd done with mine.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but I did randomly spaced straight lines in navy and orange thread.

On the inside, instead of the one small pocket, I added a bunch of pockets with elastic tops.  I used this tutorial from Sew Thrilling Crafts.  It was super easy, so I'm going to have to add these to every bag I make from now on.  There's six pockets on the inside, of varying sizes, and the four orange pockets on the outside, so I don't think she'll have any problem with storage.

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday and Flamingo Toes for Think Pink Sunday!